1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a thin-film magnetic head, a head gimbal assembly, and a hard disk drive.
2. Related Background Art
Thin-film magnetic heads with electromagnetic transducers for writing and magnetoresistive devices for reading have been configured so as to levitate from hard disks, which are recording media, when writing or reading data to or from hard disk drives. Specifically, a thin-film magnetic head is mounted to a gimbal, which is attached to a leading end of a suspension arm, to constitute a head gimbal assembly (HGA). As the hard disk rotates, air flows under the thin-film magnetic head, so as to flex the suspension arm, thereby levitating the head.
The gap between the thin-film magnetic head and the hard disk, i.e., the head levitation amount, has been decreasing from 20 nm to 15 nm, and further to 10 nm as the hard disk has been attaining a higher recording density. A technique for reducing the head levitation amount is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. HEI 5-20635.